An internal push to increase government efficiency could reshape Hamilton County’s spending — and its public faces — as local leaders plan next year’s budget.
The Hamilton County mayor’s office on Jan. 21 formed a six-person task force focused on increasing savings, better using county assets and modernizing the government. Topics that the task force will review include all of Hamilton County’s staff positions, buildings and its major contract vendors.
County Mayor Weston Wamp described the new group, of which he is a member, to county commissioners during a meeting Wednesday. The task force will issue recommendations to the panel before commissioners vote on the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Wamp first referenced the group publicly in a social media post he made earlier this week. He said in the post that the county had formed a task force to slash waste in the government. The group has met twice since it was formed and so far has reviewed subjects such as the use of office supplies and the county’s cell phone policy, Wamp said.
The task force will go on to evaluate the use of county property and government leases on office spaces, as well as positions inside the government that are often vacant, he told commissioners. In an effort to be fair to smaller, local businesses, it could also rebid some of its major contracts, he said.